


Conversation

by Caitriona29



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-21 11:27:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18141593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona29/pseuds/Caitriona29





	Conversation

Emma and Alyssa were cuddling each other on the couch in the living room chatting to Emma's grandma when Emma got the phone call. At first she didn't know who was ringing her because her phone was over on the other side of the room.

"Aren't you gonna answer that Em?" Alyssa looked up at Emma with an endearing look.

"Yeah I guess I should" Emma walked over to her phone and froze when she saw the name. A name she hadn't seen contacting her for nearly two years. Someone she missed every day. The name at the top of the phone simply read: 

**Mom**

Emma picked up the phone but didn't answer it immediately. She turned around, her face gone white.

"It's my mom" she managed to whisper quietly. Alyssa shot up from the couch and went over to her girlfriend. Betsy threw her sudoku down and walked over.

"Holy shit Emma. Answer it. This could be big" Alyssa took a hold of her hand as a means of support. Emma clicked the green answer button, her hands shaking as she lifted the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?"  Emma wasn't even sure her mom could hear her because she couldn't speak up. She didn't have the courage.

"Emma? Is that you? This is still your number right? It's your mother" Emma's mom sounded as nervous and scared as Emma felt.

"Yes it is. Me. Why are you calling me? I mean I'm happy you are, but why?" Emma felt Alyssa squeeze her hand. She flashed her a quick and weak smile.

"Right ok so well um" Emma's mom was the same as her, rambling when nervous.

"So your father and I were talking and we were wondering if we could uh see you?" It sounded like Emma's mom was about to start crying. Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wanted to scream out of happiness. Maybe her parents were finally starting to accept her. She also wanted to scream at her. She wanted to know why they threw her out. Why they couldn't try and accept her? Just why? But she didn't.

"Ok wow um yeah I'd like that Mom. Uh when were you thinking?" Emma saw her grandma and Alyssa give her a questioning look. Both trying to decode the one side of the conversation they could hear.

"We were hoping we could do it next Friday. We would really like to see you again honey" Emma felt like her heart could pounce out of her chest at any moment.

"Yes of course. Do you want to come over to grandma's? Maybe have dinner?" Emma heard some whispering on the other end of the phone before she got an answer.

"Ok that sounds good. Can you send me a text of what time?"

"Of course"

"Goodbye Emma. I'll speak to you soon"

"Bye mom" Emma let out a long loud breath.

"Holy fuck" she could feel tears filling her eyes and soon they were streaming down her face.

"What is it babe? What happened? Is everything ok?" Alyssa was in full panic mode

"What did she say honey?" Betsy started preparing herself for the worst. 

 

"My Mom and Dad are coming over for dinner next Friday. They want to actually see me" Emma started sobbing. For one of the first times in her life, she was crying as a result of happiness when it came to her parents. Both Betsy and Alyssa enveloped Emma in a tight hug. All three of them relaxed slightly, releasing the tension in their shoulders. 

"Emma that is amazing. Maybe they're finally ready to see you for who you are" suddenly Alyssa was crying as well.

"Honey this is great" Betsy put her mental defence barriers down as she spoke. She knew this was a good sign for her daughter and granddaughter.

**_______________**

Alyssa sat back down on the couch along with Betsy but Emma stayed standing. She started pacing up and down the living room, chewing her nails as she went. All possible outcomes flew through her mind at a million miles an hour. All of the good and bad outcomes. Suddenly she felt her girlfriends hands wrapped around her waist.

"Hey Em, babe. It's going to be ok. I know what you went through last time you spoke about your sexuality with your parents, but it's different now. They're reaching out to you. And me and Betsy will be here for the whole thing, won't we?" Alyssa took a quick glance at Betsy.

"Of course we'll be here for you honey" Betsy didn't go over to the girls, she knew it was a moment between the two of them.

"I love you so much Em. You've gotten through all this for years. You can do this." Alyssa gave Emma a kiss.

"I love you too 'Lyssa. Will you be there for the dinner? I know you get uncomfortable talking about your sexuality with adults but it would really help you being there." Emma knew what Alyssa's mom had put her through. She didn't want to hurt her by possibly putting her through it with her own parents.

"Of course I'll be there. I wouldn't make you do it alone" Emma pulled Alyssa closer to her and kissed her. She loved that girl so much.

"Hey you two. I'm still here you know. Nothing too saucy." Betsy gave Emma a wink at the end of her sentence. The two girl pulled apart sheepishly. Alyssa looked Emma in right in her eyes as she spoke again

"You got this babe. No matter what" 

**_________________________________________**

Emma buttoned up the final button on her shirt. Her hands were shaking, god knows how she managed to button the full shirt.

Alyssa walked into Emma's room while brushing her hair.

 

"Wow Em you look great. Really going for the full lesbian look today huh?" Alyssa was only teasing but Emma felt her cheeks flush.

"Oh god it's too forward isn't it? Too butch? I should change shouldn't I?" Emma instinctively went to unbutton the top button but Alyssa walked over and stopped her.

"You look amazing and I'm sure your parents will think so too. You're being you. That's the whole point of today" having Alyssa there was a great help for Emma and her nerves. She just wanted her parents to accept her and her girlfriend. Her thoughts were interrupted by a text notification coming through. She dug her phone out of her pocket, reading the text quickly.

“Shit ok they’re going to be here in 10 minutes”

“Babe look at me” Emma’s eyes met Alyssa’s. “You got this. I’m here for you and so is your grandma. We will always be here for you. Now let’s go down and help set the table” Alyssa took Emma’s hand as they walked downstairs. Walking into the dining room and seeing the table set for five people was a shock to Emma. There hadn’t been a table set for more than three people in nearly two years.

“Do you need any help grandma? They said they’re going to be here in ten.”

“No thanks girls, I’ve got it all sorted. You two can just go wait for Emma’s parents in the living room.” Betsy turned around to get some glasses from the cupboard.

Emma and Alyssa sat on the sofa, Emma’s leg bouncing up and down at what seemed like a hundred miles an hour, trying to lessen the nerves. Then the doorbell rang. Betsy walked into the living room as the two girls stood up. 

“You answer the door Em. We’ll wait here and then you can bring them into here. I love you babe” Alyssa gave her a quick kiss. Emma took a shaky breath and turned around.

“Ok, I got this”. Walking up to the door Emma could see the outline of her parents through the frosted glass. She opened the door slowly.

“Hi” she didn’t know what else to say. She hadn’t spoken to or seen her parents in nearly two years. That’s what had been playing in her mind the whole week at school and at home. Nearly two years.

“Emma. Hi. It’s um, it’s good to uh see you again” Emma’s dad spoke nervously.

“Come in I guess” Emma opened the door wider, letting her parents step into the hallway. “Grandma and Alyssa are in the living room” Emma led her parents through. Betsy stood there in her blue cardigan beside Alyssa who was wearing jeans and a lilac blouse.

“Hello Paul. Amy” Betsy nodded, not even a smile. Not even to her own daughter. She knew what they had put Emma through and she couldn’t let it happen again.

“Hi mom” Amy nearly whispered.

“So um mom, dad this is my uh girlfriend, Alyssa” Emma walked over and took Alyssa’s hand. Something she never thought she would ever do in front of her parents.

“Hello, Mr and Mrs Nolan” Alyssa gave a quick wave. Emma could feel Alyssa tightening up. She gave her hand a quick squeeze. She couldn’t put Alyssa back into a bad situation.

“Hello Alyssa. It’s um well it’s nice to meet you” Emma couldn’t believe that her parents were actually trying. That’s what it seemed like anyways.

“Right so I have a lasagne made and it’s going to go cold if we don’t tuck into it” thank god Betsy was there to fill the silence. All five of them piled into the dining room. Emma and Alyssa sat beside each other on one side, her parents sat across from them and Betsy sat at the top of the table. They started eating the lasagne to avoid conversation. Finally Paul spoke.

“So Emma how is school going?” Emma looked up from her food, eyes wide.

“It’s good. Classes are going well and everyone is nice” 

“That’s good honey. And Alyssa” he directed his attention to Alyssa, “how is school for you? Do you have good classes?” Alyssa felt her cheeks flushing with the attention being focused on her.

“They’re good sir. I have a few classes with Emma which is great”

“That’s nice” Amy had barely spoken until then. 

The rest of the dinner was silent. Emma knew what she wanted to say but she waited. Waited until after the dinner when everyone was sitting in the living room. Emma, Alyssa and Betsy sat on the three seater sofa while Amy and Paul sat on the two seater. Emma cleared her throat, louder than originally intended, drawing the attention to her and only her.

 

“Mom. Dad. Can I ask you something?”

“Of course Emma. Anything” both of her parents looked right at her.

“Why did you kick me out?”

“Oh honey it’s um-”

“No let me finish. I need to say what I have been thinking about for two years. I need to say what you didn’t let me say at the beginning. I was terrified of what people would think of me and what they would say if they knew I was gay, and you solidified that. Why do you hate me being gay? Why was it easier for you to see me out on the streets and having nowhere to live than to accept me for who I am? You do know if grandma hadn’t taken me in, I would have nowhere to go.” Emma could feel tears forming strongly and quickly. Alyssa gave her hand a quick squeeze. She kept going.

“What is it about me being gay that you don’t like? Cause I’m pretty damn happy with Alyssa. She has been there for me through everything. Everytime you two weren’t there, Alyssa was there. Grandma was there too. The amount of panic attacks they have helped me through is countless. The days where I felt like I couldn’t do anything and during the nights I couldn’t sleep, Alyssa held my hand and calmed me down. Grandma was there to tell me everything would be ok. Even when it-” Emma’s throat was tightening up, the angrier she got.

“Even when it felt like everything was falling apart, they stuck with me. Where were you two? Why the hell couldn’t you at least have tried to understand? I needed you and you weren’t there.”

A silence fell upon the room. Alyssa gave Emma a side hug, as they were sitting down, and kissed her on the cheek. Betsy also gave her a hug. Emma looked at her parents through her tears and waited. She needed an answer.

“Emma” Amy started speaking “we tried. We wanted to be ok with all of this. With the whole gay thing but, I don’t know. That’s why we came here tonight. We wanted to try accept you but I just don’t get it.” she stopped, not able to even make eye contact with Emma. Paul continued for her.

“Emma, you and Alyssa look very happy and comfortable together but uh, your mother and I are afraid that this isn’t right for you. We don’t want you to have a hard life. We are going to try our hardest to understand it all.” He took a deep breath and continued.

“I want to get to know you for who you are. And Alyssa, I want to get to know you properly. I’m not saying I’m ok with this. I’m not. But I’m going to try. And so is your mother.”

"Ok" Emma didn't have anything else to say. She didn't know what she could say.

Paul and Amy stood up.

“We’re going to go now, maybe we could see you again, soon?”

Emma and Alyssa stood up, still hand in hand.

“Ok. See you soon then.” Emma watched as her grandma led her parents out to the hallway. The door didn’t open immediately. There was some whispering coming from the three of them in the hall.

“You did so good Em. I’m so proud of you. They seem willing to listen and understand. That’s good”

“But what if they don't? What if everything comes crashing down again? I can't handle this all over again.”

“If anything happens, I’ll always be here with you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you.”


End file.
